The IPC/JEDEC J-STD—0202C and IEC-norm standard 60068 specify spacing and pin arrangements for a printed circuit board (PCB) mountable connector commonly known in the automotive electronic art as a “FAKRA” or “Fakra.” FIG. 1 is a prospective view of a typical prior art Fakra connector 10. The connector 10 is preferably formed by molding a dielectric, such as plastic, ceramic or glass in the shape depicted in FIG. 1.
The connector 10 in FIG. 1 has a first, right circular and cylindrically-shaped portion 2, which extends away from a substantially cubic-shaped circuit board mounting portion 4, at the center of which is a signal-carrying conductor, not shown in FIG. 1. The cylindrical portion is sized, shaped and arranged to be received into a mating female receptacle connector, also not shown. The cylindrical portion 2 has a detent or latch 3, which locks a mating receptacle connector to the connector 10 depicted in FIG. 1. The circuit board mounting portion is provided with four corner-located mounting posts 6, two of which are visible in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 is a right side elevation view of the connector 10 shown in FIG. 1. The first, cylindrically-shaped portion 2 and the cubic-shaped connector mounting portion 4 are configured so that the connector mounting portion 2 can extend outward and away from the edge of a circuit board, not shown in FIG. 1 or 2. The two, corner-located mounting posts 6 depicted in FIG. 2 extend downwardly and orthogonal to the substantially planar bottom face 5 of the cubic-shaped circuit board mounting portion 4. A signal lead 8 is depicted in FIG. 2 as between the two mounting posts shown in FIG. 2. The signal lead 8 also extends orthogonally down from the circuit board mounting portion 4.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the connector shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 3 shows the four corner-located mounting posts 6 and the center-located signal lead 8. The geometry of the mounting posts 6 relative to each other and the placement of the signal lead 8 are specified in the aforementioned Fakra standards. Their configuration, i.e., their number and spacing, relative to each other, determines whether the connector 10 is compliant with the aforementioned Fakra standards. They therefore determine whether the connector 10 is, or is not a Fakra connector.
The Fakra connector depicted in FIGS. 1,2 and 3 is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art as an automotive electronics industry-standard connector. It is often used to connect a coaxial cable between a vehicle-mounted wireless communications device like a cellular telephone and global positioning system (GPS) receiver, to an antenna located on or in a vehicle window, or on an exterior vehicle surface.
A problem with mounting antennae on a vehicle surface or in a vehicle window is that such antennae are susceptible to theft and vandalism. Any sort of communications device or GPS receiver will therefore be rendered useless, if the external antenna for the device is either damaged or stolen. Concealing or re-locating the antennae that such devices require where they would not be visible or susceptible to vandalism would prevent or reduce the likelihood that the device would be rendered inoperative. An antenna that is less susceptible, or immune to theft or damage would be an improvement over the prior art, especially when used with vehicles.